Lopinto: Terrytown Children Were Murdered In Their Sleep

The details of the brutal Jefferson Parish triple homicide that left two children and a mother dead - along with two other severely injured - have come to light. Sheriff Joe Lopinto says the suspect 33-year-old Terrance Leonard admitted to killing the two children and injuring the others with a hammer.

“It looks like all of the children were hit and killed in their sleep, including the ones that survived, who were still laying in that location, presumably for dead.”

The suspect led the investigators to the hammer that had been hidden in a garbage can. Lopinto says the suspect was the boyfriend of the adult victim, 32-year-old Kristina Riley.

“When Christina came home at 2AM finding her children, she was also killed, and according to the statements of Mr. Leonard, he was waiting for her to come home to kill her also.”

Lopinto says Leonard is being held in the Jefferson Parish jail on three first degree murder charges, two attempted murder charges, and obstruction of justice for his attempt to hide the weapon and hastily clean up the scene. Lopinto says although it is not his call, he is in favor of the death penalty following the gruesome nature of the crime.

“Look, this person should never see the light of day, and the first chance that he gets to be off of this earth, i’m OK with that.”